TALLADEGA, Ala. — Denny Hamlin enjoyed having something to do Sunday, but he knew he wasn’t really going to be competing in the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Hamlin, who had missed the last four races because of a compression fracture in his lower back, stuck to his plan of getting out of his Joe Gibbs Racing car during the first caution period.

Brian Vickers replaced Hamlin, who will be credited with the points, though Vickers was involved in an accident just 18 laps later. He finished 34th and Hamlin dropped to 31st in points.

“I was enjoying it more than anything because it gave me something to do today,” Hamlin said. “I knew in my head that I wasn’t going to be competing today, I wasn’t going to be in the middle of the pack trying to make passes.

“It was all about going through the motions and getting the process of a comeback started. This is the first week of a comeback. This is going to be the start of everything. Anything that Brian gets us for points is strictly a bonus.”

The Hamlin comeback started Thursday when doctors cleared him to race the full event and then he practiced his car Friday, which also served as qualifying after time trials Saturday were rained out. He said Friday that he still planned to get out of the car at the first caution.

Hamlin, who was supposed to start seventh but dropped to the rear of the field before the green ever flew, had the help of Tony Stewart in laying about seven seconds behind the main pack.

Stewart and Hamlin were once teammates at JGR, and Stewart talked to Hamlin last week about helping him at Talladega. Juan Pablo Montoya, Michael Waltrip and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. also fell to the back to help.

“They really sacrificed the first part of the race for me,” Hamlin said. “I can’t thank them enough.

“It means a lot as a driver to have your peers have your back like that. … Me and Tony, for whatever reason, when we stopped becoming teammates, we started becoming teammates. We’ve been closer off the racetrack and on the racetrack now that he’s with Stewart-Haas.”

The driver change went smoothly and the team did not lose a lap under caution.

“Everything went seamless and painless,” Hamlin said. “I feel good. Every week I feel a lot better. … It’s been months since I felt this good.”

Vickers had started in three of the four races that Hamlin has missed this year. Mark Martin drove at Martinsville, the first race that followed the March 24 race where Hamlin slammed into an inside wall that did not have a SAFER Barrier.

Hamlin suffered a compression fracture in his lower back and during his absence, he has fallen from 10th to 28th in the standings.

Hamlin expects to be able to race the full event next Saturday at Darlington Raceway.

“The toughest part of every weekend has been watching the cars go off the starting grid and on to the race track for the green flag,” Hamlin said.

“I didn’t have to endure that pain this time around, but it is just as tough now having to watch (here at Talladega). … We’re going to start next week at Darlington with our hair on fire.”